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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. chest — of your body
  3. kick — in football
  4. vault — a safe
  5. file — a tool
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. foot — a measure
  9. chest — a box
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. file — a line of people
  12. net — after costs
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stock — shares
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. file — a document
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. charge — electricity
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. charge — a price
  21. chest — of your body
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. charge — in control

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com